Crimson Interlude
by Maddeline Kirkland-Bonnefoy
Summary: Scenes from the "Crimson" universe, but not in the direct continuity. Rated for themes and subject matter that will be later addressed.
1. Last Christmas

Title: Last Christmas.

Rating: K+.

Pairing(s)/Character(s): Germancest; Lovina, Feliciano/Feliciana.

Summary: A small snapshot of the last Christmas Lovina and Feliciana spent with their parents.

* * *

Truthfully, Lovina had never liked sweets, contrary to her twin sister Feliciana, who could put away a pound of candy if she had a mind to. But, the older of the Vargas – though at the time they were still Beilschmidt – twins did like milk, which wasn't too sweet, and occasionally a bit of honey in it. She most preferred the combination of these two just before bed, as it seemed to help her sleep, something that, even at four years old, she had always had trouble with. In any event, it was a normal evening, if a bit later than usual, when the quieter of the two sisters snuck down the stairs to get her nightly cup of warm milk; she didn't always have the honey in it, but she wanted to tonight.

As it was later than normal, though not by more than ten to twenty minutes (not that she knew that), Lovina knew she had to be quiet; after all, Mommy and Daddy did go to sleep some time after she and Feliciana did. Of course, the little girl couldn't quite tell time yet, nor did she know that her parents had their own… _special_ Christmas celebration planned. That was the second thing that made the current night just a little different from the norm – it was Christmas Eve. It was on her way to the kitchen, past the mostly-closed door to the living room, when Lovina heard the strange sounds.

Confused, she forgot her milk for the moment, and stepped closer to the door, daring to look through the crack between the door and the frame. Her four-year-old mind couldn't quite compute what she was seeing, or what she was hearing, and so she simply stared in shock, frozen in place in confusion. What she saw would have only made sense to someone at the very least four years older than she was. Julie was situated on Monika's lap, the blonde in question wore a short, tight red dress edged in white faux fur (supposedly evocative of Santa), and the two were thoroughly engrossed in trying to make-out as silently as possible, though the paler, older female's giggles were making such attempts nearly futile.

Standing stock still at the door, any exclamation of shock the older four-year-old may have made was cut off by a pre-emptive, and very familiar, hand closing over her mouth. As it was, Lovina was only just responsive enough for Feliciana, who was being surprisingly cavalier about the whole thing, to tug her older sister back upstairs and to their bedroom, while making sure that their parents didn't notice anything was amiss. Situating them both back into their bed (they would have shared up until the present, as they had until they were ten, had events not separated them after) the younger muttered, in a tone more suited to her older sister, "Honestly, sorella, didn't Nonno teach you anything?" Eventually, both twins fell asleep, but not without their different reactions burned into each other's memories. And, needless to say, Lovina never did get her milk with honey.

Of course, it mattered little, when their family was ripped apart the next day, and the twins were placed into Romulus' care; they wouldn't see their parents again for the next thirteen years.


	2. Volume

Title: Volume.

Rating: T.

Pairing(s)/Character(s): FrUk, UsCan; Maddeline; Emily and Lovina mentioned, along with Monique/Monaco, Alize/FemEngland, and Marieanne/FemFrance.

Summary: Maddie always kept to herself, but if she had ever wanted to be loud… well, she had always had the best example.

* * *

Maddeline Kirkland-Bonnefoy was, and always had been, a very quiet, forgettable girl. Unless one met her on the hockey field, of course; on the hockey field, she was like a natural disaster – powerful and destructive and completely unstoppable. She'd led her team to the nationals every year since she was a freshman, and hadn't been replaced as goalie since. If one were to meet her off the field, however… It almost seemed as if she went completely invisible. Even her own parents forget her about fifty percent of the time. In complete truth, she had two friends, and these two were the only ones who always remembered her.

The first, was her younger twin, Emily. Emily was always the life of the party; the girl that everyone loved because she was good at every sport. But she was also the girl who never touched hockey or soccer as anything other than recreational fun out of respect for her sister, and sister's best friend. She had never forgotten Maddie, no matter how many other friends she made, and always had time for her sister (and girlfriend) despite how busy she tended to by with sports and studying. Maddie loved her even more (if that were even physically possible) for that.

Her second best friend, was Lovina Vargas. Like Maddie, Lovina was the older twin, the one forgotten and eclipsed, but also content of let her younger sister shine. Also like Maddie, the Italian was a force to be reckoned with on the playing field (according to their Cuban soccer coach, she was the best center forward Hetalia High had seen in decades) but off of it… she was still a force, just not one people took notice of. Well, not until she started trying to beat them into the ground while snarling every swear and/or insult in the book from every language she could speak, at least.

There was one thing these two had in common, though: they were loud, and even Lovina would make herself heard and remembered, even if only for a bit. Meanwhile, Maddeline was soft-spoken and usually polite to everyone. She was just soft-spoken by nature.

Of course…

_"You can't just bring random whores here, you god-damned cheating frog!"_

_"Monique is my _sister_! And you shouldn't be drinking when the children are in the house!"_

Maddeline twitched, fighting the urge to curl in on herself and cry, as her parents' shouting reached up to the room she shared with her twin. Trembling, she denied the impulse, and forced herself to go back to her AP Calculus homework.

If she had ever wanted to be loud and make herself remembered… she had always had the very best example for that.


	3. Love

Title: Love.

Rating: K+.

Pairing(s)/Character(s): Itacest; Lovina, Feliciano.

Summary: Lovina writes a poem for her fratello, Feliciano, trying to explain something she has been thinking about for a while, since he asked it of her.

* * *

_I love you – three very simple words;_

_But enough to break nations and cross swords._

_Three simple words, powerful enough to end the world;_

_Yet beautiful and delicate as a flower that slowly unfurls._

_I love you – not enough to describe what I feel;_

_But more than enough to make me lie, cheat, and steal._

_Three simple words, powerful enough to bring men to their knees;_

_Yet simple and sweet, between you and me._

_I love you – too much, but not sufficient;_

_But even with them, I feel truly eloquent._

_Three simple words, but why I would cause you pain;_

_So long as you were happy, I would – even if I were never the same._


	4. Numbers

Title: Numbers.

Rating: M.

Pairing(s)/Character(s): Implied UsCan; Lovina, Maddeline, and Emily.

Summary: They both had different reasons, they both had different methods; they both had the same goal in mind. They both wanted to die. – One finds she is alone; the other finds she isn't.

**WARNING: Implied rape, implied incest, and very obvious suicide attempts.**

* * *

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight; she counted them all out, one by one. Hazel eyes were dead, as she watched the little, white, round pills fall into her equally pale palm. Soon, it would be over.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight; she counted them all, one by one, as she slipped each under her tongue. Once, twice, thrice, eight times she lifted the bottle of water to her lips and swallowed each little pill. Soon, she wouldn't have to hurt anymore.

Eight times, once each minute, she gazed at the clock on her nightstand. Then, she curled into a ball on her side, after finishing off the bottle of water, screwing the cap back on, and setting it back on the nightstand. The bottle of sleeping pills sat beside it. Hazel eyes dull, she smiled a bit; soon, everything would be gone.

She re-read the directions in her mind, though lifeless hazel eyes couldn't see them anymore. _Take one tablet every four to six hours; take no more than eight every twenty-four hours._ Funny, wasn't it, that eight was supposedly her lucky number… Soon, everything would be over.

Soon, she wouldn't remember the "early birthday present" her "father" had given her. Soon, she wouldn't remember how much it had hurt, to have her innocence ripped from her. Soon, she wouldn't need to hurt anymore. Soon… soon… soon, everything would be over.

The red, digital LED numbers on the clock flipped to midnight.

She faded to white, just as she turned fifteen.

* * *

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight; she counted them all out, one by one.

Eight times, the razor bit into the flesh of her right forearm.

Eight times, she cursed herself for her own feelings.

Eight times, she hated herself for falling in love with her own twin sister.

Eight times, she asked God why her Maman and her Mommy ignored the fact that she even existed.

Eight times, she sliced her skin, and watched the blood drip into the bathtub, violet eyes dead and tear-filled.

Eight times, she prayed she would die, as she watched the hands on the wall clock creep closer to midnight.

The ninth time, she sliced vertically – _all the way up_ – rather than horizontally, praying that it would finally end.

The tenth time, half-way up her left forearm, the razor blade was ripped out of her hand.

She faded to black, as her twin caught her, and the clock struck midnight – the day they both turned fifteen.


	5. Patient Roster: Lilian Lili Zwingli

**Title:** Patient Roster: Lilian "Lili" Zwingli.

**Rating: **M.

**Pairing(s)/Character(s): **BelaLiech, DenNor; Kristina, Lili; Vash, Natalia, and Matthina mentioned. (Monika, Julie, Roderich, Lovina, and Feliciano hinted at.)

**Summary: **As a psychiatrist, Kristina sees many patients each day. However, certain people stand out to her, and ironically, most of these people are connected in some way, shape, or form. Lilian Zwingli is no exception to this rule.

**WARNING(S): **Lesbian relationships, mentions of possible abuse, mentions of extreme neglect, and mentions of abandonment. Also, shifting tenses and Kristina being emotionless, along with possiblyOOC-Liech.

**KEY:**

**Kristina **= Fem!Norway

**Lilian/Lili **= Liechtenstein

**Vash **= Switzerland

**Natalia **= Belarus

**Matthina **= Fem!Denmark

* * *

As per usual, on a Thursday morning at 7:00AM, the psychiatrists' offices (the ones open to the public, at least) of St Helen's Psychiatric Hospital were only just beginning to awaken. Most would be just arriving, sipping coffee or energy drinks as they got settled in for the day, before getting to work on reports or quickly skimming through a file or two before the morning rush of patients came through. Of course, some – often regarded as the more diligent, or those with no life outside of work – had already been here for at least half an hour, getting things ready for their day (which, more often than not, would be just that much longer than most, as well). As for a certain platinum blonde woman, who was currently making herself her third cup of coffee since four-thirty, her reasons were only half that of her more hard-working co-workers. She did care a great deal – sometimes too much – about her patients, and she was OCD herself about work and work ethic, but that was only half the reason. Selfish as it sounded, she hated dealing with her maturity-impaired, baby of a wife at _any_ point before nine in the morning at the _very_ least. That said, she tended to retreat to her office and her work in the mornings, but especially on Thursday.

Thursday was when her first patient came at seven-thirty sharp.

Though she knew the person well by this point, her indigo-violet gaze flicked over to the file which lay open on her desk anyways.

Lilian "Lili" Zwingli…

* * *

"We've never really touched on your past much…" the psychiatrist murmurs, her dark, indigo-violet eyes nonjudgmental and almost emotionless. "Perhaps now would be a good time to do that? See if we can't find the root of things…"

A shrug, shoulders brushing dirty-blonde hair. "Not much to tell, really… Ever since I was a child, I have been sure of one thing absolutely: No-one ever wanted me. That was why I was in an orphanage at all, why I never knew my parents beyond what I could find out about them from doing research. Oh, it took years to learn who my parents are, but that didn't really change anything… I didn't expect that it would, but it was still nice to know. From what I learned about them, I think my Mother might have loved me, if she hadn't been so damned ashamed about my existence; as for my Father… I can safely say that he didn't need a bitch and a brat hanging around at that point in time. After all, who would, if they were a rising star in the classical music world, and then found out that their one-night-stand with their childhood friend (and someone else's girlfriend) had produced a kid? No-one, and especially not my Father, would. From what I've learned (read: managed to hack, thank you street life…) I have two younger sisters – twins, actually, born to my Mother and whomever she was and is still with, but that doesn't really matter…"

A few moments of silence, then the elder woman prompts almost gently – but that's impossible; Kristina Bondevick-Kohler is not a gentle woman. Perhaps something close to kind, but not gentle. Her own daughter even admits this. In any case, she rather softly prompts, "Would you like to tell me about the orphanage?" There seems to be understanding in her eyes, almost as if she knows what such a place is like. This understanding is ignored, and quickly gone behind a professional, cool calm.

Another shrug; she is most disinterested than many give her credit for. "Growing up in the orphanage… Well, I can't say that it was Hell, like most children probably could, since it was closely tied with the Catholic Church and staffed with nuns and such, but it wasn't ever rainbows and shit like that… As for while I was being shifted around foster care for most of my life until I turned thirteen, well, I spent most of my time not in the orphanage on the streets. In general, my foster parents just never cared enough, and the one set that did ran into financial problems and couldn't keep me. Actually, it was on the streets where I met my Bruder, Vash. To this day I don't know why he was in that alley, but I do know that if he hadn't been, I would have died there – died of starvation, foster parents that would never care, and a world that just didn't give even two fucks about little orphans like me. But that's not and never has been the point, has it?"

A twitch of facial muscles almost gives the impression that the older blonde wants to smile, but her face remains impassive, eyes prompting that more information be given. Information about the other's life with her "Bruder," most likely. Not she has a problem with talking about it, or particularly cares, but still… it is the first time she's actually spoken about it to anyone.

"Life with Bruder… well, it wasn't something that I had ever expected. It was like living with the one set of foster parents that cared, just… I don't think better is the word, but that's all I can think of right now to describe it… I had decent and even nice, if second-hand, clothing; I attended school regularly, and even found out that my hacking skills weren't all I had where computers were concerned… I actually felt… wanted, for the first time ever, and I never wanted that feeling to end. Things continued like this until I was a junior in high school. I had just turned seventeen, and I decided that it was time to come clean. I came out to my brother, and we fought."

A slightly longer silence elapses. Then the younger blonde continues.

"I don't think he so much had an issue with the fact that I was gay – Hell, I think he is, too – but… I think it was because I made a big deal out of it. Like I didn't trust him, or didn't believe that he really loved me… That was probably true, for all the fuck I know, since I was still a bit gun-shy abut people and trusting them… but whatever… Bruder and I didn't talk much, for the rest of that school year, but managed to patch things up during the summer, when I introduced him to my then-girlfriend of two years, Natalia Arlovskaya."

"I know we've already touched on this previously, but could you tell me a bit about your relationship with Miss Arlovskaya?"

"Like with my childhood, there isn't much to tell, really… We're both rather anti-social, and tend to keep in touch a lot through Skype and texting when we can't be physically together. We both teach at the local school, Hetalia High, which we both graduated from, and we've been living together since we graduated. Like I said, we're both kind of anti-social, but Nat is a bit more so than I am. We met when we were partnered for an English project in our freshman year, and started dating in our sophomore year. The rest, as they say, is history."

The psychiatrist doesn't comment on how the younger woman avoided the question, despite how much she said. She will open up in time. "Alright, we're out of time for today, so I will see you next week, as usual?" She doesn't really need to ask, but it is standard protocol.

"At seven-thirty, as always," the indigo-emerald-eyed blonde responded, before standing up and leaving.

Kristina sighs, and stands to stretch. She has a half hour before her next patient arrives, and she needs to call her wife to make sure that Matthina isn't still asleep. Though, it would serve her right, if she were late for work again…

Deciding against being cruel, she slips from her office to make her fourth and last cup of coffee, and ti call her Danish wife.


End file.
